A microaggression is a statement, action or incident regarded as an instance of indirect, subtle or unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalised group, such as a racial or ethnic minority.  

Microaggressions may include: 

  • Not being included 
  • Not being acknowledged – socially or professionally 
  • Being made to feel ‘different’  

Some examples of how this looks might be: 

  • touching someone's hair 
  • crossing over to the other side of the street to avoid someone from a different ethnicity 
  • being treated less favourably or with more suspicion in a shop than a white person 
  • ignoring someone's messages in a group chat 
  • offering more support or help to white students 
  • talking over people with lived experiences of the issue 

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There are two ways you can tell us what happened